Homeward Bound (song)

This article is about the Simon and Garfunkel song. For the Dropkick Murphys song, see The Gang's All Here (album).

"Homeward Bound"
Single by Simon and Garfunkel
from the album Sounds of Silence (UK), Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme (US)
B-side	"Leaves That Are Green"
Released	January 19, 1966 (1966-01-19)
Format	7-inch
Recorded	December 14, 1965
Genre	Folk rock
Length	2:42
Label	Columbia
Songwriter(s)	Paul Simon
Producer(s)	Bob Johnston
Simon and Garfunkel singles chronology
"The Sound of Silence" (1965) "Homeward Bound" (1966) "I Am a Rock" (1966)

"Homeward Bound" is a song by American music duo Simon & Garfunkel written by Paul Simon and produced by Bob Johnston. The song was released as a single on January 19, 1966 by Columbia Records.

The song appears on the duo's third studio album, Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme (1966), although it was recorded during the sessions for their second album Sounds of Silence and included on that album in the UK. It was their second single, the follow-up to their enormously successful breakthrough hit "The Sound of Silence". It performed very well domestically, peaking at number five on the Billboard Hot 100, remaining on the charts for 12 weeks. Internationally, the song performed best in Canada, where it hit number two; it was also a top five hit in the Netherlands.

A live version of the song is included on the compilation Simon and Garfunkel's Greatest Hits, and it was also performed during the duo's legendary 1981 reunion, The Concert in Central Park.

Background

A plaque commemorating the song at the Widnes railway station.

"Homeward Bound" was written by Paul Simon after returning to England in the spring of 1964. He had previously spent time in Essex, and he became a nightly fixture at the Railway Hotel in Brentwood, beginning that April. He was reeling from his brief period in the Greenwich Village folk scene, as well as the recording of his first album with Art Garfunkel, Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M., which he anticipated would be a failure. During this time, he met Kathy Chitty, who was working as a ticket-taker at the club. The two hit it off instantly, but it became clear that Simon desired to perform in London, resulting in an emotional farewell. Following a performance in Liverpool, Simon was at Widnes railway station, waiting for the early morning milk train to London. He had been missing Chitty's company and he began to write "Homeward Bound" on a scrap of paper.

Chitty is mentioned in several other Simon & Garfunkel songs, most notably "Kathy's Song" and "America". In their 1969 hit "The Boxer", Simon alludes to a railway station, a possible reference to "Homeward Bound". A plaque commemorating this claim to fame is displayed on the Liverpool bound platform of Widnes railway station. Simon is quoted as saying "[i]f you'd ever seen Widnes, then you'd know why I was keen to get back to London as quickly as possible."

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Chart (1966)	Peak position
Australian Kent Music Report	20
Canadian RPM 100	2
Dutch Singles Chart	4
New Zealand (Listener)	1
Rhodesia Singles Chart	4
South Africa (Springbok Radio)	6
Swedish Singles Chart	12
UK Singles Chart	9
US Billboard Hot 100	5
US Cash Box Top 100	5

Year-end charts

Chart (1966)	Rank
US Billboard Hot 100	56
US Cash Box	61

Notes

Sources

• Bennighof, James (2007). The Words and Music of Paul Simon. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-275-99163-0.
• Eliot, Marc (2010). Paul Simon: A Life. John Wiley and Sons. ISBN 978-0-470-43363-8.
• Fornatale, Pete (2007). Simon and Garfunkel's Bookends. Rodale. ISBN 978-1-59486-427-8.

See also

• List of train songs

External links

• Official website